The website of a Miami-based networking and security solutions reseller became inaccessible Monday, shortly after the company began advertising an unauthorized Mac clone for a fraction of the cost of Apple's cheapest system. Dubbed OpenMac, the USD 400 offering from Psystar Corporation is described as 'a low-cost high-performance computing platform' based on the ongoing OSX86Project - a hacker-based initiative aimed at maintaining a version of the Mac OS X operating system for everyday PCs. The website is back online now, and the machine has been renamed to Open Computer. Update:Psystar says they will continue to sell the Open Computer system, despite the fact that it appears to violate Apple's EULA. "We're not breaking any laws," they insisted.

Looks bad for Apple ... this tells Apple's customers or potential customers that they are selling them 400$ worth of hardware for 2000$.

I always thought that Apple hardware was overpriced, but not like that.

Not really, if you look at the spec you are getting less than a Mac Mini with the hardware config. By the time you add the iMac equivalent video car, firewire ports, and additional HDD you are up above the $700, add the OS and you get to $850 odd, and you still don't have a built in webcam, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.

It is however a product that Apple does not offer, a stripped down machine that can be Upgraded... that is where the value is.

Not really, if you look at the spec you are getting less than a Mac Mini with the hardware config. By the time you add the iMac equivalent video car, firewire ports, and additional HDD you are up above the $700, add the OS and you get to $850 odd, and you still don't have a built in webcam, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.

You're comparing a single product (the Open) to multiple product lines within Apples brand, and complaining that it doesn't match any of them.

You cannot fairly compare a BYOKMV system to an iMac. They are targeted at completely different market segments.

The Open is best compared to the Mini -- which is targeted to the same general audience as the Open. People who have a keyboard, mouse, and video display.

When compared to the mini, you have to max-out the most expensive mini model to even get close to the specs of the Open. Even then, you're looking at limitations such as: No upgradeable CPU. The mini maxes out at 2GB RAM, the Open at 4GB. The HD's aren't even close to the same in capacity or performance (the Open has higher capacity, faster drives)....

Even with the $50 for the firewire card, and $155 for the OS X install, and an extra $80 for iLife '08 the $685 Open is significantly cheaper than a $950 mini.

To compare the Open to anything other than the Mini is completely confusing the situation, the target markets, and obvious premium that Apple charges for slow hardware that comes in a small, white box.